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Jehoiakim was succeeded by his son, Jehoiachin ("Jehovah confirms"), a youth of
eighteen years,* who reigned for only three months and ten days (2 Chronicles 36:9).
- By a clerical error in 2 Chronicles 36:9, his age is given as "eight years."By a reversion
of its component parts, his name is also written Joiachin (Ezekiel 1:2) and Coniah
(Jeremiah. 22:24, 28; 37:1).
He occupied the throne when Nebuchadrezzar himself appeared a second time on the soil
of Palestine (2 Kings 24:11). It is impossible to determine whether what now happened
was in punishment of the previous rebellion, or because the young king was guilty of
similar intrigues with Egypt. From the indications in Holy Scripture we are led to
suppose that the queen-mother, Nehushta ("the brazen"), the daughter of Elnathan, an
influential prince of Jerusalem (2 Kings 24:8; Jeremiah 36:12, 25), had considerable
share in the events of this brief reign. We infer this, on the one hand, from the connection
of her father with Egypt (Jeremiah 26:22), and on the other from the pointed references to
her and her fate (2 Kings 24:12; Jeremiah 13:18; 22:26; 29:2).*
- A somewhat different account is given in Jos. Ant. x. 7, 1 -and of the close of the
previous reign in x. 6, 3.
At first the siege of Jerusalem was entrusted to subordinate officers. But when the fall of
the city seemed near Nebuchadnezzar himself appeared. Jehoiachin, together with the
queen-mother, the court, the princes, and the leaders seem to have surrendered to the
victor. The punishment inflicted on the city was of signal severity. All the treasures of the
temple and the palace were carried away, the heavier furnishings of the sanctuary* being
cut in pieces.
- These may have included altars, etc., while the gold-plating may have been stripped off
from others.
Thus was the word of the Lord, long and often spoken, fulfilled (2 Kings 24:12, 13). The
king himself, his mother, his wives, and all the officials, whether of the court, the state, or
the army, were carried to Babylon. Nay, to make sure of the permanence of the conquest,
"all Jerusalem" - in the sense of what made it the capital - and all who in any sense were
"strong and apt for war" - who could either lead, or fight, or prepare the means for it -
were carried into captivity. Their number is roughly stated as 11,000 (11,023[?] comp.
Jeremiah 52:28),* comprising 3,000 ranked as "princes" and leading citizens, 7,000
soldiers (10,000, 2 Kings 24:14), and 1,000 craftsmen, especially smiths (2 Kings 24:13-
16).
- Others have, however, made the total number l0,000 - reckoning "the princes" at 2,000
and the craftsmen at 1,000. The computation does not seem to include the women and
children -unless, indeed, we were to understand the numbers in Jeremiah 52:28 to refer
(^)